Beautiful Mess
by InstantWriter14
Summary: She was done with being his personal punching bag, when she saw the chance to leave, she took it. Now on her way to a new city, she must fend for herself. Along the way Tris meets new friends, but will her past prevent her from trusting them? Will she ever move past her fears? Will she allow herself to love and be free? Or will her past catch up and take everything away from her?AU
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! This is my first fanfic. I've been pondering on potential plots and I thought of one that I really want to write. The first chapter is short, but its only like that because it's the intro. I hope you like it! I own the plot, but not the characters, that privilege belongs to veronica Roth

Chapter 1

I kept running, running as far away from _him_ as possible. I had had enough. I was done; I finally found the courage to run, to be anywhere but here. The brisk air nipped at my cheeks as I ran to the nearest bus station. I looked behind me, hoping, praying he wasn't following me. The sun had set less than two hours ago, but the city lights managed to light the streets, enough to see that there was indeed no one behind me. I ran for what seemed like hours, when in fact it was only twenty minutes. My tears were starting to dry on my face and I could taste the salt and dried blood on my lips.

I had almost forgotten the cut on my lip. The adrenaline pumping through my body numbed the pain I was feeling all over. I looked up and saw the bus station came into my view; I slowed down to catch my breath and tied the laces on my shoes. I straighten my jacket out and tried to wipe off some of the dried blood. I ran my hand through my hair to make myself look more presentable. I walked up to the purchasing window. I looked up at the man behind the glass; he looked not a day over 40. I followed his eyes and he must have been wondering about my busted lip and soon- to- be black eye.

"Hi" I said quietly. "How long until the next bus leaves?" I asked. I looked behind me again, just to make sure he didn't find me. I bit my lip, knowing that my paranoia was showing.

"About 10 minutes." He replied. "Are you alright ma'am?" He looked generally concerned.

"Um, yea I'm fine. I'd like to buy a ticket for that bus." I stared at him, waiting for him to tell how much.

"Don't you want to know where it goes?" He asked.

"As long as it gets me out of the city, I really don't care." He nodded his head and started to process the ticket.

"That'll be $184 please." I handed him the money from my jacket pocket. The day before, I went to the bank and pulled out all the money I had in my savings account. As soon as _his _behavior started to show, I knew one day he would just explode and I started to save my money, just in case something like this would happen. The man handed me the ticket and pointed to where the bus was loading.

I gave him a small smile and walked over to the bus. I quickly put the money back in my pocket and walked up the bus stairs, sitting towards the middle- end of the bus. I looked down at the ticket in my lap. '_Portland, Oregon_.' That seemed far away enough. I placed the ticket in my jacket and closed my eyes. I felt the bus jolt to life and my worries slowly fading behind me as the bus left the station. I felt the darkness take over my exhausted body. When I wake up, I'll have a new life.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A/N: So here's chapter two, I spent a lot of time editing it. I hope you like it. I'm just finishing up chapter three, R&R! I don't not own Divergent, just the story line. Enjoy!

_I heard the front door open and was greeted by the sight of my drunken boyfriend. Every night, since he lost his job, weeks ago, he has found nothing better to do than drink. His abuse escalated, what I thought was just a slight slap on the wrist every now and then, suddenly turned into an everyday occurrence. _

_My co-workers started to ask questions, like why I had always put on an abnormal amount of makeup. Or why I never made eye contact any more. Or why I flinch every time someone would touch me. I was tired of lying to them, but I was more afraid of Eric than anything. _

_On this particular day, he was more wasted than he had ever been. I came home from work and started dinner right away, fully knowing that if dinner wasn't on the table by the time he got home, I'd regret it._

_I placed his dinner on the table, and poured him some water. He came up behind me and I stiffened at his touch. _

_"Hiiiii, sweetie." He attempted to kiss my lips but I turned my head and he kissed my cheek. I could smell the alcohol I his breath. His eyes were bloodshot and looked like he could barely keep them open. _

_"Hi." I said sharply. "Dinner is ready." He had a lopsided smile, and walked over to his were at opposite ends of the table and I refused to make eye contact._

_"__What the hell is this?"_

_I looked up at him confused. "What do you mean? It's dinner." As soon as those words left my mouth, I regretted them._

_"__Don't be a __smart ass__. Why the hell am I eating chicken? I specifically told you to make steak and what about these vegetables? Are you trying to tell me something? Where are the mashed potatoes, Mac & cheese? Seriously, when are you going to learn to listen?" He practically threw his fork at me, but I was able to dodge it. I've seen him pissed off before but never to this extent, the look in his eyes sent shivers down my spine._

_"__You never asked me to make that. All you said to me was to have dinner ready by the time you got home and I did that." I was getting sick at tired of this shit. "Quit whining and eat the damn food before you really piss me off." I had no idea where this __new found__confidence came from but before I could react, he came up behind me and grabbed me by my hair._

_I stood up, leaning to the side while he dragged me to the living room and threw me down. My head hit the corner of the coffee table and I felt my blood drip down the side of my face. I closed my eyes in pain, but no tears left my eyes, I stopped crying years ago, no pain, no emotions, except anger -and maybe a little bit of fear- and tonight was the last straw. _

_Again, he grabbed me by my hair and whispered in my ear. "Listen bitch, I will not be disrespected in my own house. You will do as I say or you will regret it." The harsh smell of alcohol flared in my nostrils and I quickly became disgusted._

_I met Eric when I was merely sixteen and I know I was young I was also stupid, but at the time, I was in love, or at least I thought I was._

_Again he threw me down on the ground and kicked my sides and slapped my face at least three times. I was slowly losing to the darkness that slowly threatened to consume me. But I made a promise to myself that I would not take this torture, tonight was the night I left, never to look back again._

_After a few more punches and kicks, he was out of breath and left me on the floor, barely conscious. Ever so slowly, I picked myself up and found the lamp that was on the table next to the couch. Eric had turned around and was walking back to the dinner table. I grabbed the lamp and hit him over the head with it, temporarily knocking him unconscious._

_After calming down my heart rate, I grabbed my all the money left in my purse. I ran into our room and put on my coat and shoes. I walked into the closet and pulled out a safe that was hidden and unlocked it to grab my secret debit card and bank account information. Luckily I would have enough money to start over again._

_After I put everything safely in my pockets, I walked back out to the living room, staring at him, resisting the urge to kick him. I walked to the door, pausing to reminisce in my __new found__freedom. With that, I walked out the door, running to the bus station, a new feeling over taking me, paranoia._

I felt myself jolt at the dream –memory-, realizing that I was still on the bus. I looked around me and noticed the few that were riding the bus, were all asleep. I turned my head and stared out the window, noticing the upcoming city life.

I shut my eyes and drew a sigh of relief. My new life was about to start, but I had no idea what that life entailed. All I knew was that I was it was a fresh start and I was going to make the most of it. While the dread of being found by _him _was deep inside me, and the thought of trusting anyone proved a problem, but I would try my absolute hardest to be friendly, even though I never really had friends before, acquaintances, yes, friends, no.

The bus pulled up to the station and everyone started to unload. After seven hours on the road, I was at my destination, I walked off the bus and greeted by a cool breeze. I walked into the station to grab a guide book and proceeded to the restroom to wash up.

The restroom was clean and quiet, the mirror spotless. As I stared at myself in the mirror, I could hardly recognize myself. The side of my face was covered in dried blood, and unfortunately due to the lightness of my hair, it stained my hair. My right eye was black and slightly puffy, you could barely make out the color of my eyes, the enchanting blue-grey color that everyone always ranted on about was gone. Like a void was taking it place and creating a black hole. There was a cut on my lower lip and a cuts on my neck. I lifted up my shirt and there were bruises all over, some new, black and blue, come old, yellow and fading.

Trying to breathe was a bit difficult, suddenly realizing I probably had a few bruised and cracked ribs. I quickly washed my face and tried to remove the red stain from my hair.

When I finished, I walked back outside and noticed it was close to three in the morning and it was quiet. I decided to walk to the beach; the waves always brought me peace of mind.

After a 20 minute walk, I found myself wandering aimlessly along the shoreline. I noticed a rather large house up the shore, it was huge, a yard, a few cabins built around and behind it.

I stared out into the ocean, letting the sounds of the water fill me with calmness. I sat down in the sand and laid back. I closed my eyes, for once in my life, I felt safe, and although I was running away from my past, this was exactly what I needed, a new start, a new life, a new me.

* * *

I heard shuffling and I felt sand being kicked along my arms and something… smelling me? My eyes shot open -thank God the sun was barely rising- to see a small puppy sniffing near my feet and a small little girl trying to pull him away.

"No! Bad Spike!" the small girl yelled. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. She had the deepest blue eyes, definitely mesmerizing and dark chestnut hair that fell a little past her shoulders, a sharp nose and two cute little dimples. She looked to be about five or six.

"Mia! Mia!" I heard a distant voice call, it sounded like it was coming from the direction of the house I saw last night. I looked up at the little girl, whose eyes were wide when I sat up.

"I'm so sorry Miss! I thought I would be able to walk Spike all by myself but he was too strong for me." She looked down, tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh don't worry about it sweetie. I needed to wake up anyway." I smiled at her.

"Mia! Oh thank God there you are!" A woman, maybe round fifty, came running down the beach, her worry ceased. "Are you alright, sweetie?" The woman walked up to us and caught her breath.

"Yes Gammy, Spike thought it would be nice to run on the beach and smell strangers." Mia smiled and wiped away her unshed tears.

"Well it seems as though Spike has a lot of energy to day. I'm so sorry dear to disturb you. But, if you don't mind me asking, were you sleeping here?" I looked down, embarrassed, and then I soon remembered the cuts and black eye I had, but I had to get up and look at her knowing it would be rude not to.

I stood up and wiped the sand off my back and looked up at her. "As a matter of fact I did, I was looking for something to calm me down and I guess I just fell asleep." The look on her face said that she noticed.

"Oh dear! Look at you. Why don't you come back to my house and we can get you cleaned up." The lady said, and I just nodded. "Oh by the way, my name in Evelyn and if you didn't already know, this is Mia, my granddaughter." The little girl looked up and smiled at me.

"Nice to meet you guys, my name is Be-" If I was starting a new life, I wasn't going to go by that name, "My name's Tris." I smiled and shook Evelyn's hand and bent down to Mia's height. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mia." I held out my hand and she gladly accepted the gesture. I rose back up and followed Evelyn back to her house.

As we were getting closer, I noticed that the house was much larger up close; it was surrounded by flower beds, so many different types of flowers, sunflowers, roses, pink, yellow and red. There were tulips and lilies and you name it, it was there. There were big willow trees surrounding the land, but not so many were you felt it was too much. Mia was behind us, dragging the dog, because he had to smell everything.

I walked up the porch steps and walked through the door, what I saw took my breath away. Her home was absolutely gorgeous. Dark hardwood floors, a chandelier in the walkway and waiting rooms on the left and right. And then it clicked, all the cabins behind the house, this was an inn.

"Mary!" Evelyn called out. "Could you please get me some cotton swabs and peroxide and bandages. Oh and a bag of ice and take it up to the guestroom. Tris please follow me. Mia, take Spike and go feed him and then we'll all have breakfast." Mia nodded her head and took Spike.

I followed Evelyn up the massive staircase. There were several doors to my right and left, but we ended up going straight down the hall. She opened the door and gestured me to come in. When I walked in, I was greeted by a small breeze. The room was decorated so eloquently. A nice queen sized bed with a canopy, and a wooden dresser and desk. There were double doors leading out to a balcony that had the perfect view of the ocean. I turned around to find Evelyn and she walked in with the medical supplies and walked into the bathroom, I followed.

She motioned for me to sit down on a chair next to the sink. The bathroom was pretty huge, a walk in shower and then a spa tub, that could easily fit six people.

"So, you wanna tell me how all these cuts and bruises happened?" Her voice was gentle yet firm.

"I'm a natural born klutz and I just can't seem to get over that." I tried to smile but the lie kept me from doing that.

"Ah. I'm sure" From hearing her reply she didn't believe me. "I used to say the same thing." I looked up at her, surprise written across my face. "Don't worry your secret is safe with me." She poured some peroxide on a cotton swab. "Take off your jacket and shirt so I can clean up your wounds." I did as I was told and I heard a small gasp escape her lips, man it must be bad.

"I guessing you been in a similar situation?" I questioned. I winced as she applied the peroxide to my shoulders and neck.

"Unfortunately yes I have. My ex-husband was very abusive to me and unfortunately my son, but he has been put away for a very long time and we don't have to worry about him anymore. So tell me your story?"

"Not much to tell I was in an abusive relationship for about six years. The first two years he was loving and prince charming, but then he started to get violent and a few months ago he lost his job and then he just blew up at me." I sighed but being able to share this to someone who understands made me feel a whole lot better. "Last night, he was super drunk and I guess I didn't make the right dinner and he exploded. I talked back saying he never requested anything specifically for me to make, so he grabbed me by my hair and threw me down, kicked me in the ribs and stomach. I hit my face on the corner of the coffee table. I'm pretty sure I have a few bruised ribs. But I finally found the courage to leave, so I hit him over the head and grabbed all of my money and left, not knowing where to go, so I just hopped on a bus. I found myself in Portland. I needed to find a peaceful place just so I could wrap my head around everything that had happened, so I was wandering the beach and I guess my mind just drifted." Evelyn finished with my cuts and thank God she didn't have a look on her face that screamed pity.

"Oh I'm so sorry dear that you had to go through that but you got away and that's all that matters. How about you stay here? We have plenty of room here." She smiled at me, see was too sweet.

"Oh no, I couldn't-" I tried.

"You can and you will. You don't know anyone in this town. Plus with this you can get back on your feet."

"I will only stay if you let me at least pay for a room." I bargained.

"That's not necessary."

"That's the only condition I have for staying."

"Fine." She said reluctantly. "But if you need anything, please let me know."

"Evelyn, I cannot thank you enough for your help. You are like my guardian angel."

"Don't mention it dear, I just know exactly what it feels like to be treated so badly. But if you don't mind me asking to get to know you later, perhaps over breakfast?"

"I would love nothing more." I smiled and got up from the chair.

"Why don't you jump in the shower, and get yourself cleaned up and I will put some clothes on the bed for you."

I nodded. "Thank you again, so much." She smiled and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I lifted up my tank top and unclasped my bra and I noticed that the bruises we slowly but surely fading. I took off my pants and underwear and turned on the shower.

The steam surrounded my body as the hot water pounded on my back, relieving the tension and knots. I couldn't feel more blessed to have found Evelyn.

After twenty minutes off cleaning my body of the dried up blood and any trace of Eric there was, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my head and grabbed another one and dried off my body and then wrapped it around me. A final look in the mirror, my black eye was starting to fade to a softer pale blue; hopefully, it would be yellow by tomorrow and gone in two days' time. I exited the bathroom and found clothes on the bed, with a not '_Take your old clothes and put them in the hamper in the closet. We'll throw them out for you. I put a couple outfits and undergarments in the closet as well, along with two pairs of shoes. Breakfast will be served in 10 minutes. Just go down the stairs and take a left at the bottom, you'll see the dining room.'_

I smiled, not believing how generous this woman was. I put on the black bra and panty set and then pulled a sky blue V-neck over and some black yoga capris pants and the sandals she left me. I picked up my clothes and put them in the hamper and made my way to the stairs. My stomach was grumbling, I remembered I didn't even eat dinner the night before.

The dining room was eloquent, a long dark oak table, with fruit baskets in the middle and some flowers. Evelyn looked up and motioned me to sit next to her. Mia was sitting on the other side eating a bowl of fruit and some yogurt. She smiled at me.

"You look refreshed."

"That shower did a number on me; I haven't felt that good in a long time." On the plate in front of me was a pile of eggs and some bacon and fresh fruit and some hash brown casserole. My mouth watered at the site of it and I dug in. It was like a party in my mouth.

"So tell me about your family Tris." Evelyn asked.

"It's kind of a grim story but… my parents died when I was five and my brother and I were put in an orphanage, but then he was adopted and I was put into foster care, never stayed put, my longest foster home was a little over a year." I bit off a piece of bacon.

"You don't have a mommy or a daddy?"

"Mia!" Evelyn exclaimed.

"No it's alright. Unfortunately I don't Mia, but I was able to survive on my own."

"I don't have a mommy either." Mia down casted her eyes "What about other family? Didn't you have a Gammy?"

"No, she died when I was a baby. But you Mia are so lucky to have Gammy? I envy you." I smiled at her, admiring her beautiful eyes, she really was a beautiful little girl. I wonder what her parents looked like; well I guess I know what her father looks like.

"What does 'envy' mean?" she asked sweetly.

"Just means I wished I had what you had." At that Evelyn put her hand on my and looked at me lovingly. I smiled back. I was really enjoying my time here, definitely looking forward to what the future would hold.

"Gammy do you think I could show Tris around the place?" Mia asked sweetly.

"That's up to Tris, sweetie."

I looked at Mia, "I think that would be great, my very own private tour." Mia's eyes shined brightly and she jumped out of her seat and grabbed my hand.

"Bye Gammy!" I could hear Evelyn laugh at her enthusiastic granddaughter. We rushed out the back door and were overcome with beautiful scenery. The willow trees swaying with the breeze. It was already August, and it would start getting cold. But for now I was enjoying it.

There were a few swings on some big trees and there were about ten cabins, five on each side of the path and a fountain in the middle. I was in awe and I felt like I was in a dream. Mia never let go of my hand.

"So my Gammy and my daddy own all this land and they are in charge of the inn. I was raised here. My daddy takes real good care of this place. My Gammy just makes sure everyone is checked in and stays at the front desk. Oh behind that big huge tree there is a small pond, so I recommend going there if you want some privacy and some piece of mind. Let's see, oh that shed over there has like everything you need, for the pool of going to the beach. Um" Mia tapped her little finger on her lips. "The pool is farther down the path, but it's hardly ever used since the beach is so close, but you're welcome to it and there's a fire pit in the back of the main house."

I couldn't stop smiling at this little girl, she was just so… bubbly, and it was contagious. The whole estate was huge.

"Oh I almost forgot, over that little hill is our family restaurant." Mia paused and let go of my hand. "Daddy!" she screamed and ran behind me.

I turned around and came face to face with and a man I could only describe and gorgeous. With his tousled brown hair and deep, deep blue eyes, the body of a god. His shoulders were broad and his chest puffed out. His arms were bulging with hard muscle. He lifted Mia up and she put her arms around his neck and a smile tugged on his lips. Those perfectly shaped lips. I realized I was staring and I plastered a smile on my face and walked over to where Mia was.

"Daddy, this is Tris, Tris this is my daddy." I held out my hand and she set her on the ground and accepted my kind gesture. "Gammy and I found her sleeping on the beach; well Spike did, after trying to walk him-"

"Did you just say you were walking Spike? Alone?" He said sternly. Oh God, his voice made me melt but I shook off that feeling.

"Well I was going to go with Gammy but Spike ran off and I had the leash attached to my hand and he took me with him."

Mia's father bent down to her level, "Mia I've told you before, Spike is a new puppy, a rather large new puppy and he's not exactly trained yet so I don't want you trying to walk him without anyone with you. When he gets trained more then you can start to walk him." Mia shook her head. He stood back up and looked at me. "So, are you a guest here?"

"You could say that. Evelyn offered me a room in the main house." I tried to cover up my eye and the healing cuts on my neck and shoulders. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name, unless I'm supposed to call you daddy." I laughed and then I realized what I had just said and I felt my face burn with embarrassment. Talk about awkward.

He smiled, "My name is Tobias, but my friends call Four."

"So what am I to call you?" I questioned.

"You can call me Four. So Mia gave you the grand tour?"

"Yea, she a ball of fun, practically dragged me out of the house. This place is beautiful by the way." He grabbed Mia's hand and we started back to the main house.

"Thank you, I've been in this business since before this little ball of sunshine came into my life. It's been in the family for a while." He looked down at her with such love. There was a ping in my heart, knowing nobody would ever look at me like that and mean it. A sad smile appeared on my lips. "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh yea, I'm sorry I must have spaced out. Yea everything's fine." We walked up the porch steps and into the house. It was nearing ten o'clock and light filled the house.

"Mom I'm back!" Four yelled. Evelyn appeared in front of us.

"Hi sweetheart. Oh I see you met Tris, she'll be staying with us for a while. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind. If you want her here then there must be a good reason for it. I don't see anything wrong with that." He smiled at me and I graciously smiled back.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk, try to get my head around things."

"Ok dear, lunch will be ready by noon." Evelyn nodded her head to me in understanding. I turned around and went back outside, straying from the path.


	3. Chapter 3

Again, I found myself wandering on the beach, the one place that could bring peace over me. Despite the wonderful sunlight, there were a few stray clouds and the ocean was calm. Just several hours prior I was on a bus with no idea where I'd end up and here I am with a kind lady offering me shelter and anything else I needed because she understood what it was like to live an abused life. Although I had help from Evelyn, I knew I was broken beyond repair from moving foster homes when I was a teenager, when my very last home was also a bit abusive, more mentally and emotionally than physically. Running away when I was sixteen and finding Eric and 'falling' for him. No one would ever want me and I had to accept that.

Then my thoughts wandered over to Four, how gentle his eyes were but I think he knew my reason for staying. I could bet anything right now that Evelyn was telling him my story, or whatever she felt was necessary to tell him, I didn't mind. He knew what it was like.

I wondered what happened to Mia's mom, the look in poor Mia's eyes tugged at my heart. Evelyn was the constant woman figure in her life. But Mia didn't seem to let anything ruin her mood. I was pulled out of my thoughts, when a volleyball hit the side of my head and knocked me down.

"Ow…" I rubbed the side of my face; luckily it was on the left and not the right.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" A sun kissed man approached me. His eyes dark as well as his hair.

"It's okay, I'm fine, I should have paid attention to where I was going."

"Still, we should have noticed you walking. I'm Uriah by the way." He held out his hand.

"Tris." I took it.

"Nice to meet you Tris, this is Christina," He introduced a dark skinned girl with dark hair that went just below her ears.

"Nice to meet you, sorry about the ball, we should've called a heads up."

"Don't worry about it" I replied.

"This is Will, Christina's boyfriend, over there, the guy chillin' by the cooler is my older brother Zeke. And the two by the net are Peter and Al."

"Nice to meet all of you." I said loudly enough for everyone to here.

"It looks like we need to get ice on that pretty face, it's starting to swell." I blushed at Uriah's pretty face comment but then let it go. Zeke brought over some ice wrapped in a towel and placed it in my hand and I put it on my face.

"So we haven't seen you before. Are you new here?" Christina asked.

"As a matter of fact I am. I moved here from Chicago."

"What a small world, Peter moved here from Chicago about two years ago."

"Yea what a small world." Peter replied rather rudely. He seemed to be studying me and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Do you guys happen to have the time?"

"It's 12:15." Christina said.

"I must be getting back. It was really nice to meet you all." I gave them back there towel and I walked away and I still felt Peter's eyes on me. I power walked back to the house and noticed the back door was open. I walked up the porch and into the dining room, where nobody was. I went up to my room to freshen up and take a look at the damages done to my face.

It seems when things get better something else happens. I went into my room and into the bathroom to freshen up. I grabbed the brush that was on the sink (how it got there I have no idea) and took my ponytail out and brushed it, creating beach waves. My hair looked healthier, now that it didn't have red stains the blond shining in the light. The left side on my face was slightly red and puffy but nothing some ice couldn't fix.

Fifteen minutes later I descended down the stairs and was greeted by Evelyn.

"There you are dear. I was wondering where you were at. Come, I want you to meet some people."

Meet some people? I hadn't realized she was having guests for lunch. When I emerged into the dining room I was greeted by some familiar faces.

"Tris! Who would have guessed you would be staying here?" Christina piped up, her voice filling the room.

"I'm guessing you've meet each other already?" Evelyn looked confused as to why we knew each other.

"Yes we have, I had an unfortunate accident with a volleyball. I wasn't paying attention and I was hit with the ball." I laughed at the memory. "But I'm all good, nothing a little ice can't fix."

"Well since we don't have to go through the formalities. Let's have lunch." At the head of the table, sat Evelyn, and next to her was Four sitting by him was Mia and then Zeke. On the other side sat Uriah and Christina, so I took the empty seat next to Christina.

It was like a buffet at the table, sandwiches, chicken, fruit, everything and anything. They were chatting among themselves until I heard a question directed at me.

"So Tris, what made you leave Chicago?" I looked at Zeke.

"Um, that's a good question. I guess it was just time I left because there was nothing for me there. I lived there since I was little and it was the only place I knew, but I found the courage to leave and I ended up in Portland." I took a bite out of my turkey sandwich and I looked to Evelyn, who empathized with me and surprisingly, I saw Four who gave me a small smile and a head nod. I figured Evelyn would tell him.

"Auntie Christina?" Mia piped up.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Do you think we can go shopping?" Mia asked sweetly.

"Um sure why not, as long as your daddy says yes." She looked at Four and nodded in approval. "Tris would you like to join us, make it a girl's day?"

I didn't know what to say. I never had a girl's day before. Eric would never let me have any friends, claiming they would corrupt my mind. At work, I always kept everyone at arm's length. Realizing that she was waiting for my reply, I nodded my head.

"Yay! Tris is coming. Gammy I'm done. I'm gonna get my shoes on." Mia hopped down from her chair and ran up the stairs. Christina followed suit as well as the guys. Evelyn stayed behind.

"Tris, you don't have to go if you don't want to."

"No it's fine I promise. I need to get some new clothes anyway, and if I'm going to stay here for a while I'll need to make some friends sooner or later, and Christina seems really nice."

"Oh she's an angel but beware that when she and Mia go shopping, they tend to get a little carried away." She smiled at me reassuringly.

"Um Evelyn, did you tell Four about… you know?" I asked slightly embarrassed.

She sighed. "I only told him that you had to get away from someone. But I think he put the pieces together when he saw your neck and eye. But don't worry, he won't tell a soul."

"I wasn't worried about that. He seems kind of quiet anyway, very head strong but I guess he knows what it's like."

"He's quiet and reserved at first but once you get to know him, he's just like Mia, full of energy. Now you should get going, Mia is not known for her patience." Evelyn left and I ran up the stairs to get my debit card and a small sweater, not knowing how late we'd be out. I met Christina and Mia by the front door.

Her car was parked under a tree, a blue Honda Civic. I hopped in the front seat and Christina buckled Mia in. Christina got into the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking spot.

"So do you like shopping?" Christina asked, breaking the silence. Truth was, Eric never let me spend more than a hundred dollars on clothes, a month. Said it was a want and not a need.

"I didn't do it too often in Chicago, everything was really expensive." It was the half-truth, everything really was expensive.

"Well don't worry, Mia and I will straighten everything out for you. I promise by the end of the day, you'll be a shopping expert." she promised.

"So Mia, what are your favorite stores to shop at?" I asked.

"Is that even a question? That girl loves any store that has hello kitty clothes."

"Um, I think I like the Children's Place, but JCPenny also has some really cute clothes." She replied.

"How old are you Mia?" I asked

"Six, I'll be seven September 18th."

"I've never known a six year to love shopping." I laughed and looked in the back seat to see her beaming at me.

"We're here!" Christina pulled into the parking lot of the mall; it wasn't too big, not like the malls in Chicago. We got out of the car and made our way into the mall, searching for stores with the cutest clothes.

Five and a half hours later we were ready to leave. The sun is starting to set and Mia is in the back seat drifting off to sleep. It was a pretty eventful day, Mia got two new outfits, Christina bought a few shirts and two pairs on pant. I bought some long sleeve shirts, a few V-necks, two pairs of yoga pants, three pairs of skinny jeans, a pair of combat boots and some black Vans. I also bought some bras and underwear and socks. That will hold me over until I find a job and make some more money. For the time being, it'll do.

The ride back was quiet, Mia was already asleep. Christina pulled into the driveway, looking pretty exhausted herself.

"Why don't you head home, I'll get the bags and Mia."

"Are you sure? It's not a problem."

"I'm sure; I'll just put the bags by the door and get Mia into her bed. You look exhausted, and I'm sure Will is missing you right now. Don't worry about it." I remembered her telling me earlier that her and Will lived together. She nodded her head as I gathered the bags and unbuckled Mia from her seat. "Thank you for today. It was exactly what I needed."

"Don't mention it; I had a great day too. Let's do it again soon." I smiled and she pulled out of the driveway. I held Mia in my arms and walked up the steps and opened the front door. It was quiet. I noticed Four was sitting on one of the loveseats.

"She's exhausted, poor little thing fell asleep on the car ride home." He walked over to me smiling. I placed her in his arms, careful not to wake her.

"Did you have fun with Auntie Christina and Tris today?" He whispered in her ear. Mia gave a small nod and went right back to sleep. "She wasn't too much of a hassle was she?"

"Who Mia? No she was a perfect angel."

"I'm gonna go tuck her in."

"Do you mind if I follow, I have some of her bags." He nodded and walked towards the stairs. He room was two doors down from mine. I opened the door and Four walked in. I set the bags on the floor next to her dresser. I noticed Four pulling the covers over her. I walked back out of the room, not closing the door completely. I could hear everything he was saying.

"Good night baby girl. I'm glad you had a great day. Get some rest. I love you so much." I could hear him kiss her and she grumbled something. I left back down the stairs, with a few tears building in my eyes. Mia was so lucky to have a great father and grandmother in her life. I just wished I had at least one of those. Growing up alone changed how you look at the world. I was broken and I could accept that but it never stopped me from wondering what my life would have been like if I had a family of my own. I made my way into the kitchen, grabbing water and an apple and sat on the island. I heard footsteps behind me and Four appeared in the kitchen.

"Well she's out like a light."

"I'm sure, she wanted to hit ever store she could. Who knew she could hit every store in such a small amount of time. She's a professional."

"You're telling me. After talking her shopping for her fourth birthday and spending nearly six hundred dollars on her and ten hours in the mall, I learned and now the only person that can handle shopping with her is Christina." He chuckled. "So tell me, Tris," God my name sounded great coming from his mouth. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened in Chicago?"

"Oh no I don't mind. Um had an abusive boyfriend, stayed with him for about six years, pushed me to my limit and I left. Not much else, as a child I was bounced around in foster care after my parents died when I was five. My brother got adopted and that was that. My last foster home was a bit abusive but more psychologically than physically. I ran away when I was sixteen, been on my own ever since." I finished firmly. I took a bite of my apple, finishing it to the core.

"Wow seems like-"

"An awful life, I know. But as far as I see it, I'm alive."

"That's not what I was gonna say but it's true, you left and now you're safe. Normally from what I've seen, people in abusive relationships are virtually terrified of meeting new people, much less sharing a story like yours to a perfect stranger."

"The way I see it, I can't live in fear, trying to watch my back every second of every day, it can get tiring. Plus if I want to get over said fear, I have to put one foot forward. For me, sharing my story helps me heal, and even though I'll be broken forever, I've come to accept that." I finished my water and threw the contents of my apple and water in the garbage. "Evelyn gave me something that I've never had, a home and a second chance at a new life, and she has helped me more than she realizes. I've only been here a day and I've already made friends or at least met some new people." I shrugged and walked past him grabbing my bags by the front door. I heard shuffling behind me.

"Here let me help you."

"No it's alright, I got it, I'll just make a couple of trips." I argued.

"Don't worry about it." He grabbed four bags and I grabbed the remaining three and then trekked up the stairs.

We reached my bedroom and I opened the door and set the bags on the bed. "Thank you." I murmured.

"No problem." He said and walked towards the door. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you left Tris, no one deserves to be treated so poorly." He gave me a bright smile and left the room.

I heard the door shut and pondered what he said. The butterflies in my stomach had been in disarray the whole time he was with me. It was a strange feeling, foreign. I knew there would be no possibility of us, ever. And I was okay with that. I just wanted friends and I would be content. A smile settled on my lips, I think I was really going to like it here.

* * *

Before I knew it, a month had passed and everything was falling into place. I got a job as a waitress at the restaurant. I did a few more shopping trips with Mia and Christina, and soon my closet was getting full. It was starting to get chilly outside, and the leaves were starting to yellow and fall off. The grass was starting to brown, the array of reds, yellows, oranges, tans and browns emerging from the outside world, created a new picture perfect image, instead of the bright sky blues and vibrant greens from the previous summer months.

It was a week before Mia's seventh birthday and she couldn't be more excited. That little munchkin was starting to grow on me, as well as her father. He had opened up a little bit, getting use to the idea of me being there.

The gang- Christina, Uriah, Zeke and Will- offered quick friendships to me. I was grateful. I learned Zeke and Four went all the way back to freshman year of high school where they met Christina and Will there junior year. Uriah had just entered his freshman year but soon joined the group. Al and Peter weren't as accepting as everyone else. Peter had left Portland a couple of weeks after I arrived, claiming he had to visit a sick family member in Chicago as well as take care of some business deals. Al was around a few times but not very often. I think I've seen him around three times? If that. I later found out that Zeke and Uriah had girlfriends that were working on their graduate degrees at the University of Portland. Marlene and Shauna, unfortunately I hadn't met them but they sure did talk a lot about them, I felt like I already knew them.

I was just finishing up cleaning some tables in the restaurant as it was getting ready to close. The pay was pretty decent, the tips were even better; I could live comfortably off of it. When I made my first rent payment to Evelyn she was tightly wound, reminding me that I didn't need to do that. It was the least I could do for everything she had done for me. I remember the night I made my first payment, she grabbed my hands and told me that I was part of the family, a family that always protects its own. I started to cry at the word family. It was foreign to me. I thanked her and gave her a hug and then I left.

I put all the dirty dishes in the sink in the kitchen and I told Harold I was clocking out.

"Bye Harold. I'll see you on Thursday!" I gave him a kiss on the cheek and left. Harold was in his mid-fifties, and I quickly took a liking to him.

"See you later Tris!"

I walked out of the back and was greeted by a gust of wind. I wrapped my sweater around my body as well as my scarf. It was starting to get darker earlier. I noticed for sitting on a bench under a tree. He looked up and smiled. I couldn't help but smile back. He was starting to get to me.

When the six of us decided to hang out, playing volleyball or hiking or bonfires, we all let loose, acting like teenagers again. Mia was always sad when we did things without her. But we would always take her to the park and play with some local kids and then ice cream afterwards.

She started school at the very end of August and everything was quiet. I approached Four and he stood up.

"Hey, just the girl I was looking for." Damn it! His voice was like music to my eyes and only he could make me feel this way.

"Me? What for?"

"Well as you know, Mia's birthday is coming up and my mother and I were planning a party for her."

"Annnddd… you need help planning it?" I was sorta confused as to why he was telling me this.

"No, we have that covered. But I was going to ask you if you would be able to help me find Mia a birthday gift?" I was shocked to say the least.

"Um, sure I guess. But wouldn't you rather ask Christina?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love Christina, but if I took her shopping, we would never leave and you have been spending more time with Mia than she has. I've done it before when shopping for Mia's birthday presents and never again will I make that same mistake. So what do you say? Tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'll meet you downstairs at 9."

"Thanks Tris."

We walked back to the house in silence, all that could be heard was the gentle sounds of our breathing and a few gusts of wind every now and then, it was a comfortable silence and I was glad we were able to get closer as friends. We made it the back porch and he held the door open for me.

"Are you joining us for dinner?" He asked. I saw Evelyn and Mia sitting at the table.

"Not tonight. Harold and I had a late lunch. I think I'm just gonna hop in the bath and go to sleep." The look on his face was that of disappointment but he quickly nodded and walked off.

When I got to my bedroom, I pulled off my sweater and scarf, followed by my pants and t-shirt. I unclasp my bra and took off my panties. Christina made me buy a few sets of matching bras and underwear. I asked her why and she told me 'you never know when someone will see it. You must be prepared.' I laughed her words.

I made my way into the bathroom and turned on the water for the tub. I lit some candles and some incense. The bubble bath was lavender and it had such an amazing effect on my body. It released all the tension from my body. I lay in the tub allowing the warm water wash over my body. I closed my eyes and my mind drifted.

I was spending the day with Four tomorrow. That thought alone sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. The more time I spent with him, the more I grew to care about him. His gentle eyes captivated me and his body- oh my God that body; seeing him work chopping up wood for the bonfires and upcoming winter. Swinging that ax made him look like a rugged lumberjack, I loved it. He was also an amazing father and that alone warmed my heart. He was the type of father that would do absolutely anything to keep that smile on Mia's face.

Everyone care so much about the little girl, and who could blame them, she was sweet, caring, passionate, outgoing and just being around her lifted any bad spirits. She light into everyone's life, including mine. She started calling me Auntie Tris and after the first time she called me that, I was forever in her grasp.

A month in Portland proved to be something short of a miracle. The life I was living now was where I hoped I would be. This place gave me a second chance and there was no way I would ever give this up. I found a home and a family and that was all I could ever ask for.

After an hour in the tub, I dried myself off and wrapped the huge bath towel around my small body. The bruises were gone but the cuts one my neck and shoulders left a few scars, nothing too terrible. I went to the doctor a few weeks ago to get my ribs checked out and about three of them were just bruised, thank God.

I opened my dresser and grabbed some underwear and a tight tank top along with some shorts and put them on. I grabbed my lotion next to my bed and rubbed it on my arms and legs. I went out on to the balcony and let the crisp air kiss my cheeks.

Down below I saw Mia and Four playing with Spike, apparently trying to play fetch. I smiled at the image. Mia was having the time of her life. I thought back to when I was young, before my parents we killed, we never had a dog but I was able to play with the neighbors German Shepard. The thought of something happening to Four made me sick to my stomach and I had to push that thought away.

I heard Four whistle and that brought me out of my thoughts. I looked down to see Four smiling at me, I smiled back and waved. Mia threw the ball to him but didn't see it in time and hit him smack dab in the face. I laughed. Four ran to Mia and picked her up and twirled her around.. You could hear her shrieking and laughing across the ocean. I turned around and walked towards my bed, leaving the doors open.

As I prepared for bed, I could still hear the laughs for both Mia and Four, and that was enough to put me to sleep, a calm, dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys here's chapter four! We Learn a lot about Tris and Four this chapter I had fun writing it! Don't forget to R&R please. Let me know how I'm doing!

Chapter 4

I woke up to the sun blaring in my room; it was a little before 8 which gave me plenty of time ti get ready. I walked outside to get a whiff of the ocean filled air.

"Ahhh, refreshing." I walked back in and headed towards the closet. I traded my tank top for a lavender colored bra with black lace. Ever since Christina, I have to match my bra and underwear or I just feel uncomfortable.

I put on a pair of skinny jeans and black combat boots. I put on a black long sleeve shirt and a checkered pink white and black scarf (I had a new obsession over scarves). I walked into the bathroom and put on some mascara and some light pink blush. I was never allowed to wear makeup out, Eric said I was putting myself out there when I was already taken, but the mascara brought out the vibrant blue-grey color of my eyes and the blush, well that was just for fun.

I grabbed some money from my purse and put it in my back pocket and headed down to go get some breakfast.

"Good morning Evelyn! Good morning Mia." I said cheerfully.

"Good morning sweetheart. Someone's awfully happy today."

"Morning Auntie Tris! You look beautiful!"

"Why thank you Mia, you look beautiful as well. As for why I'm happy, why wouldn't I be, it's a beautiful day."

"That it is, so what are you up to today. Harold said you had the day off?

"Yea I do, I actually have plans today to go shopping."

"Does it have anything to do with me?" Mia asked slyly.

"And why would it have anything to do with you, missy?"

"Oh no reason." Mia shrugged and rolled her eyes. I couldn't help but laugh. I grabbed a banana nut muffin and a glass of orange juice. Four joined us ten minutes later, looking amazing in dark jeans and tight grey shirt.

"Good morning Pumpkin." He kissed the top of Mia's head and made his way to Evelyn. "Good morning mother."

"Good morning sweetheart. What are you up to today?"

"Just gonna go shopping with Tris. I need to find some parts for the heaters in the cabin before fall and winter come." He winked at Evelyn and she understood the message.

We ate our breakfast in silence and soon enough we were headed out the door. Four's Honda Pilot was parked right under a tree, not exactly what I expected, he seemed more like a truck kind of guy, but then you have to take into account Mia. We got in the car and took off.

"Thank you again for coming with me. For some odd reason, I can never find the right gifts for Mia. I've been told I'm one of the worst gift givers in the world, but that's coming from Christina."

"I'm sure that's not true. Christina, well she takes pride into shopping so you have to be careful around her." I reasoned.

"I know, I think I'm good at giving gifts for guys. I've never had a problem with Zeke or Uriah but when it come4s to my mom and Christina and especially Mia, I'm kinda clueless." He chuckled and stopped at a red light.

"What have you given Mia at her past birthdays?"

"I've got her cars and Legos, I think at one point. I got her a couple of stuffed animals but they weren't very 'girly', ever since her third birthday, where I gave her a toy tool box set, Christina had my head. So when it comes to Mia's birthday I have to show Christina what I got her and she never approves." He pressed on the gas pedal.

"I'm sure you'll get better at it, give it some time. When I was four, I remember my dad bought me some action figures and I asked him for some Barbie dolls. And yea he wasn't so good at gift giving either; my mom always bought my presents for me." He pulled into the mall and parked the car. "So where do you want to start?"

"Honestly I have no idea. I don't even know what she wants."

"Come on, I'm sure you have some idea, you are her father after all." I smiled, trying to make him feel better.

"Well, I did see a dollhouse a few weeks ago when I came for some sheets for the cabins."

"There you go; see you were lying when you said you had no idea. Come on, let's check out the toy store and go from there." He smiled and we made our way to the toy store.

Once we got there, we looked around, not impressed by what we saw. There were a few dollhouses but they were too small and a few of them looked like they had been used or put on display. We tried a few more children stores and came up empty handed. Two hours later, I saw it!

"Four! Look!" I pointed to an antique store that had a beautiful white dollhouse on the display window. I grabbed his hand and dragged him with me, before someone saw it.

The bell to the store went off and a woman, I'm guessing in her twenties greeted us.

"Hi, I'm Melanie, what can I do for you today?" She smiled brightly, more so Four than me. I rolled my eyes and walked towards the dollhouse.

"Is that dollhouse in your window for sale?" Four asked.

"Oh that old thing, yea."

"How much?"

"Let me asked my mom, things on the window have special pricing." She walked into the back and a woman who looked to be in her forties emerged.

"Hello, I here you're lookin' to buy a dollhouse?"

"Yes ma'am, it's for my daughter's birthday."

"Aww how sweet. Well since it's for your daughter, I'll sell it to you for $150. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect. Do you guys do any packaging?"

"As a matter of fact we do. Is there any specific day you need it by?" The woman asked.

"Can I pick it up on Friday, say about 3?"

"We will have it ready by then. Let me ring you up." Four paid for the dollhouse and the woman put a 'SOLD' sign on it.

"Thank you so much, my daughter's going to love." He smile and both Melanie and her mother seemed to melt. Figures.

I walked out of the store and waited for Four by the entrance. About five minutes later he joined me.

"I'm so glad we were able to find it, Mia's going to absolutely love it, but I think that you should get her a couple of dolls, don'tcha think?"

"You lead the way and I'll pay." We both laughed and we walked over to a store that seemed like it was made for little girls. We picked out a few dolls, mostly Disney princess dolls. "So what did you get Mia for her present?"

I raised my eyebrows, "What makes you think I bought her something?"

"Please I've seen how you are with her and she absolutely adores you. I've seen the way you play with her; I know you got her something."

"Fine, she told me a couple of weeks ago that she loved the movie Frozen and that she was the only one in her class that didn't own that movie, so I thought what the heck? I went to the store and bought her the movie and when Christina, Mia and I came to the mall, I saw in the Disney store this huge Olaf stuffed animal, I came back on my own and bought her it." I smiled thinking about the stuffed animal that was taking up most of my closet.

"She's going to love you forever. When it first came out, I think I took her to see that movie twice and Christina took her and my mom took her. Wait, did you say you came back on your own? How?"

"I asked your mom if I could borrow a bike, and let me tell you, putting a stuffed animal bigger than you in a basket and trying to ride it home proved to be quite the challenge." He smiled and it grabbed at my heart, the look in his eyes was one I'd never seen before, a look of adoration.

"Well she'll be extra grateful for that. I want this birthday to be extra special for her, but she gets so spoiled everyday anyway it's hard to pull it off."

"It's a surprise party, and her birthday isn't until Monday so she won't be expecting the party on Saturday." We started walking back to the car. It was almost three o'clock.

"Seeing as you gave up your day off to spend it with me, how about I take you to lunch? I know this great diner not too far from here."

Part of me wanted to say no because I just realized how attracted to this man was and it scared me, I wanted to get as far away from him as possible but at the same time I loved his company, he made me feel safe, so reluctantly I agreed. He nodded his head and we were off.

* * *

We sat in a booth in the corner of the diner, it had a fifties look and a jukebox blasting Elvis Presley. The seat were made out of old car seats but newly upholstered. The shiny checkered floor was spotless and old records hung from the ceiling.

"Welcome to Danny's Diner. I'm Lily. What can I get you to drink?" Lily asked. Four looked up and smiled.

"Can I get your raspberry iced tea?"

"Can I just get some ice water with lemon?"

"Coming right up!"

"Water? Really?"

"What can I say, I'm famished." I replied with a grin. Lily came back with our drinks and pulled out her order pad.

"Are you guys ready to order?"

"I think we'll just have two burgers, well done." I stared at him wondering how he knew I liked my burgers.

"Can I have a chocolate milkshake too?" I asked timidly. Since being with Eric, I wasn't allowed to enjoy life's temptations of sweets. It had been years since I had a milkshake. He always wanted me to stay 'in shape' that way I always seemed remotely attractive. Lily nodded and left to put in our orders.

"Dessert with lunch? You're a wild one." He joked.

"Well my ex never let me have anything sweet and it just looked so good on the menu." He frowned for a split second at my revelation but then looked right at me.

"So what's your story?"

"Um… I thought I already told you it."

"No I'm talking about _your_ story. Like what you like to do? Hobbies? Interests? Dislikes? Anything that tells me about Tris." I smiled that he cared enough to ask me that and get to know me. It was new territory but I had to think about that because no one had ever asked me those questions.

"My real name is Beatrice Prior but decided to be called something else after well you know. Back in Chicago I worked for a photography firm, mainly focusing on family portraits but doing individual shots on the side. Aside from the fact photography was my job, it's also one of my passions, and so much can be said just from a picture. I like drawing for fun and definitely reading. Put a book in my hand and it can be read in a matter of minutes. I'm also a big fan of jazz music, my mom said when she was pregnant with me she used to play jazz music for me when I wouldn't let her sleep, I guess it calmed me down. Oh, I love watching football, that's my weakness especially around Thanksgiving. My dad and I used to watch Friday night football, always placing bets."

"A football fanatic? You are a woman after my own heart." We both smiled at each other, the butterflies were back. The more time we spent together, the more I saw myself falling for the guy.

"What about yourself? I've been here for over a month and I feel like I don't know anything about you."

"Not much to say."

"I highly doubt that. Where did the nickname "Four" come from? If you don't mind me asking?"

"No not at all. When I entered high school, I tried out for the football team, which was when I met Zeke. I was originally supposed to be the running back but the coach saw potential. The school's football team fell apart years prior; the coach offered me the starting quarterback position. My best friend Lauren was the one who convinced me to take the position, best decision of my life. My jersey number was number four and after taking the team to state twice, everyone started calling me Four and it stuck." At the mention of his friend Lauren he got a sad look in his eyes.

"I don't think you've mentioned Lauren before, did you guys have a falling out?"

"No, she uh, died."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have aske-"

"No you didn't know. She's actually Mia's mom." At that statement the waitress brought over our food but we didn't touch it. Four looked as if he wanted to finish his story. "We met in seventh grade and instantly became friends. I confided in her, at that time I was going through a rough patch in my life but she was there. She was definitely my rock but as we entered high school, I made more friends and started to break out of my shell because at this point my "father" had been put away, but we tried to spend as much time as possible together." He paused.

"Unfortunately for her I had nothing but platonic feelings for her but I think she felt something more. Once we graduated we had a huge party at my house for everyone and then afterwards an after party at someone else's house. We got drunk, so drunk that we ended up having sex. About a month later she came to me in tears telling me she was pregnant, she kept apologizing but I assured her it was no one's fault we both took part in in. We weren't in love or anything but we took care of each other. You know Mia was supposed to be given up for adoption. Both of us were headed to college to start our lives, but after eight months of waiting and seeing a healthy baby girl in my arms, I couldn't do it and now after seven years I can't even begin to imagine a life without Mia in it. But everything went downhill for Lauren, after she gave birth she started seizing and hemorrhaging and she didn't make it."

I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze silently thanking him for trusting me so much to tell me about such a horrible time in his life. This man sitting in front of me had been through so much, my life paled in comparison to his.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I think in the end it made you who you are today. You a wonderful dad, that little girl adores you. You've made it through college and are doing extremely well for yourself. None of what happened to you is your fault."

"Thank you for listening to me, I haven't confided in anyone in a while. Let's eat before the food gets cold."

We ate in silence for a few minutes before I started talking again. "So you still didn't tell me about yourself, like you hobbies and interests."

He smiled a smile that melted my heart. "Well you already know the best part of me is Mia, but as you may know the group is a part of my family as well. Met them all in high school and grew extremely close. I love to go surfing as well as rock climbing. The inn is my pride and joy and every one in a while Zeke and Uriah help me out, there surprisingly good handy men."

"So what does everyone do? I feel close to them but I don't _know_ the." I was almost done with my burger, and by God it was the best burger I had had in a long time. The milkshake was to die for and I nearly inhaled that in the first ten minutes of getting it. We were both getting close to finishing and I was saddened at the thought of ending this… lunch date? I didn't know all I knew was I was having a great time getting to know him.

"Well Will just graduated med school and is now working at the hospital and Christina is a graphic designer. They've been dating for like ever now." He bent his index finger towards me, telling me to get closer. "Don't tell Christina, but he's planning on proposing. He wanted to wait until after med school to do it." He winked and made me promise not to tell anyone. "As for Zeke and Uriah, Lord knows what they do, I'm pretty sure it has to do something with computer programming."

"You've known them for how long and you don't know what they do?"

"They're and eccentric pair, they never bring up work, it's always party time for them. Mia keeps them young." Lily comes over and takes our plates and places the bill on the table. I get out my wallet from my purse.

"What do you think you're doing, I know you're not getting out your wallet because I told you I was taking you to lunch."

"But-"

"No buts, it's my pleasure." He paid and we headed back out to the car. The car ride was filled with comfortable silence.

"So what about Al and Peter?" I broke the silence.

"They aren't really a part of the group; I'm kinda of unsure about them."

"Me too. I get uncomfortable when I'm around them. They don't come off as welcoming. Like one time, Al came into the restaurant and was hitting on me relentlessly and the first time I met Peter he was eyeing me up and down and I just couldn't shake him." His hands gripped the steering wheel and we pulled into the driveway of the house. It was nearly five and Mia and Evelyn would have already eaten.

"Well we'll just have to be extra careful around them." He winked and we got out of the car only to be greeted by and high pitch little girl screaming. "That's my queue. Before I forget, the group and I are planning to take a camping trip a week after Mia's party, and we wanted to ask if you would like to join us? Please?" His eyes were pleading, it wasn't necessary; any time I could get with him I would take.

"Sure, I'd love to." Mia jumped into his arms and he picked her up and swung her around. She was laughing hysterically and I let them have their moment. I walked into the house and was greeted by Evelyn.

"So how was shopping?"

"Great, we found Mia's gift after hours of searching and then grabbed a bite to eat."

"So are you and my son getting along?" She was probing for information.

"You know, curiosity killed the cat."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not a cat, so is there something going on between you two?" She sounded… hopeful.

"No there isn't, just a friendship and I don't want a relationship anyway, I just got out of a six year "relationship" and I'm not in a rush to get back in the game." She looked disappointed but understood nonetheless. I headed up to my room.

After telling Four my passion for photography, I suddenly had the urge to take pictures. I bought a camera a while back but I lost the will to do it, until now. The sunset right now would be perfect timing. I grabbed my camera from inside my desk and a light sweater and headed outside. I walked the beach noticing a couple holding hands strolling on the sand. I knew they were here on their honeymoon. I took a picture of them facing the sunset; the lighting was perfect making them look like silhouettes while the sunset created most of the color.

This place was the very definition of perfect getaway; it was quiet, intimate and super romantic. Four and Evelyn put forth so much work to keep this place as nice as it is. I went on a little adventure, venturing out into the patch of forestry a little ways north. I came across a cliff that over looked the ocean. I walked towards edge and looked down, sharp, jagged rocks formed at the bottom and the current gently washed over the rocks. I closed my eyes, imprinting this perfect image in my head.

I looked at my watch and it was about eight thirty, but I didn't want to leave just yet. I sat down on a tree stump near the edge and basked in the moment. I set my camera next to me and looked out into the horizon.

I heard some shuffling behind me and was met with alluring blue eyes.

"There you are, we were about to send a search team after you."

"Sorry, after talking about my photography I felt like taking some pictures. I haven't felt that urge in a while, my ex kind of ruined it for me." I looked back out in front of me and felt him sit down next to me.

"You know I had a really nice time with you today." He said quietly.

"Me too."

"So did you get any good shots?" I handed him my camera to look through. "Oh wow Tris, these are amazing. We have a lot of people that come on vacation here and I think we should have a photographer on hand. I know newlyweds would love to have pictures taken of their time here. What do ya say? Be the inn's professional photographer."

"I don't know, those pictures may be good, but I'm nowhere near a professional."

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit, I'm telling you these are amazing."

"I guess if you think my pictures are worthy enough, I'll do it." I refused to look at him, for the fear of my face turning red as a tomato.

"Great, you have your first clients tomorrow morning."

"Wait, what?"

"Well since your disappearance on us a few hours ago, I was talking to mother and I told her about your photography and she was totally on board and a couple walked in and said you took some pictures of them and wanted to see how they turned out. I knew with a bit of convincing you'd do it and I was right." He paused.

"Is there something else you want to ask me?"

"Christina was supposed to take Mia out on Saturday while we set up for her party, but she found out she had to go into work for a little while and I was wondering if you could take her out?"

"Wow you are just taking advantage of my kindness aren't you? Of course I'll take her out, what time does she need to be back?"

"About eleven."

"Alright." It was a simple response but at that moment I decided to look back at him. Our faces weren't as far apart as I originally thought. His eyes weren't looking at me but lower…my mouth? We both started to lean into each other. Our lips were centimeters apart. I closed my eyes and waited, but the touch never came. Instead his cell phone went off.

"Hello." He sounded mad. "Yes I found her… She's fine…Can it wait?... Fine I'm on my way." He hung up the phone, my face was on fire. "That was my mom, she needs my help in one of the cabins. You comin'?" My mind was reeling.

"I'll be there in a minute, can't get enough of the view. You go on, I know how to find my way back." He looked disappointed and he hesitated at first but left relentlessly. What the hell was that? We were just about to kiss, and you know what? I wanted it. Jesus I'm all over the map. Every freakin' day my insides turn into mush by this man and instead of being scared and running for the hills, I stay. I'm so confused, maybe the phone call was a sign that it just wasn't made to be. Either way I can't get involved, especially with Four, I think we were just meant to be friends. It's a good thing too, I couldn't just intrude on their family like that, I would ruin everything, I'm too broken to even start something. Yea, it was that simple, no more petty mistakes, and I can't go on that camping trip, I just can't.

My internal monologue had me going for over twenty minutes, by the time I grabbed my stuff and found my way back to my room it was a quarter to ten. I hopped in the shower and got ready for bed.


End file.
